The national women’s volleyball team, Malkia Strikers recently made history by winning the African Nations Championship and qualifying for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
However, their remarkable achievement has been overshadowed by the unfair treatment and lack of support they have faced from the government and specifically authorities who manage the Kasarani Stadium.
In an exclusive interview with NTV’s Sports On Show on Monday, August 28, 2023, the team’s coach Paul Bitok exposed the shocking reality that the team has to pay Ksh 80,000 every time they want to use the stadium for training, despite being a national team representing the country in international competitions.
“It’s very unfortunate, how do you charge a Kenya national team during training?” Bitok asked in disbelief.
“Kasarani stadium has been turned into a business; we have to pay Sh80,000 to use the arena in Kasarani,” Bitok told James Wokabi and Bernard Ndong.
Malkia Strikers coach Paul Bitok: Kasarani stadium has been turned into a business; we have to pay Sh80,000 to use the arena in Kasarani. #SportOn @BernardNdong @JWokabi pic.twitter.com/zKScsgOmMD
— NTV Kenya (@ntvkenya) August 28, 2023
This is not the first time that a national team has faced difficulties in accessing the Kasarani Stadium for training.
In 2019, Harambee Stars, the national men’s football team, was kicked out of the stadium for not paying the training fees.
The incident caused public outrage and prompted Sports Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed to intervene and order that national teams be allowed to use the stadium for free.
However, it seems that the order has not been implemented or enforced, as Malkia Strikers continue to suffer under the burden of paying for a facility that should be rightfully theirs.
This situation raises concerns about corruption and mismanagement.
The pertinent questions are: Who benefits from the team’s payments, and why isn’t the Ministry of Sports intervening to waive these fees?
Is there a deeper issue of corruption at play?
Who should be held responsible for this mistreatment?
The Malkia Strikers are one of the most successful and consistent teams in Kenya’s sports history.
They have won a record-extending 10th African title, having last won it in 2015, to top the African continent in the FIVB rankings.
This saw them qualify for their second consecutive Olympic Games, after making their debut in Rio 2016.
The team has achieved all this despite the lack of adequate facilities and support from the government.
These revelations made about the situation at Kasarani Stadium are a shame and a disgrace to the nation.
It shows how little regard and respect we have for our sportsmen and women who bring glory and pride to our country.
But this is not an isolated case.
The entire sports docket in Kenya has been neglected and underfunded by the government for years.
There is a Sports, Arts and Social Development Fund (SASDF) that is supposed to provide funding to support the development and promotion of sports and arts, among other objectives.
However, as this blog has unearthed in the past, its officials are corrupt to the core and end up pocketing most of the funds.
Looting Racket At The Sports, Arts and Social Development Fund Exposed
Dokatu Wako: CS Amina’s Alleged Proxy Enjoying Fruits of Embezzlement At Sports Ministry
Even worse, the fund has been slashed by more than 50 percent in the 2023/24 budget by the National Treasury.
This means that less money will be available for sports development and infrastructure.
These facts raise serious questions about how sports funding is allocated and utilized in Kenya.
Why are there multiple funds with overlapping mandates?
How transparent and accountable are these funds and are they monitored and evaluated?
How do they benefit the sports sector and its stakeholders?
We urge the relevant authorities to address these issues urgently and ensure that our sports sector is given adequate and consistent funding and support.
Our athletes deserve better than this.
